Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 27, 2021

3Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 27, 2021 3Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 27, 2021 
HAPPY 96TH BIRTHDAY SALLY CONTRERAS! 

On Sunday, March 14th, more than 40 cars and 20 pedestrians, stopped by to wish Sally 
Contreras a very happy birthday.

 The weather was cooperative and Sally is very appreciative "for the kindness of her friends and 
neighbors!

 Since the outbreak of the Pandemic, 'Drive By Celebrations ' have helped many of us enjoy our 
'special days'. MVNews 


SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER 


March 14, 2021 to March 20, 2021 
During this period the Sierra Madre Police Department 
responded 
to 207 calls for service. 

Vandalism 
Officers responded at 6:16AM on 3/15/21, to a possible attempted burglary 
to a residence in the 600 block of Mariposa Ave. Officers discovered glass 
French doors with one smashed glass pane and 5 additional glass panes 

that were cracked, but intact. All doors and windows were secured and it did not appear that the 
suspect(s) successfully entered the residence. Case to Detectives 

Collision 
Officers responded at 2:07PM on 3//17/21 to a call of a two car collision in the 00 block of S. Baldwin 
Ave. The driver of one vehicle was treated at the scene by SMFD personnel, with no other injuries 
reported. 

Theft 
On 3/18/21 at 12:16PM, a report was filed on-line of the theft of an air conditioning unit and a water 
heater from a residence in the 100 block of N. Mountain Trail Ave. Case to Detectives 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 

“Of Wistaria blooms, I caught 
sight, today,
And ever since as violet of the 
deepest hue,
My passion, grows ever more 
profound!” Ise 

“In memory of the spring now 
passing, I drew the long clusters 
of wistaria that move like waves.” 
Masaoka Shiki 

As the Wistaria Festival was 
postponed again, much to 
everyone’s dismay, I thought I 
would show you the beautiful 
picture of wistaria I took up on 
Grandview, just a block or two 
from Santa Anita a year or so 
ago. The day was exquisite, warm, 
sunny and it was such a joy to 
see this lovely rich purple flower 
in bloom again. Fingers crossed 
that we can all enjoy the festival 
in 2022. Meanwhile, the world-
famous vine is growing and 
becoming even more beautiful. If 
you want to see some really fine 
wistaria right now, take a look 
downtown at city hall. Actually, 
if you look hard enough, you see 
wistaria peeking out here and 
there all over town. Just keep an 
eye peeled for those lovely purple 
blossoms, like those here in my 
picture! 


I’ve been hanging onto the most wonderful article on wisteria, (The rest of the world spells it 
wisteria…Sierra Madre, being unique, spells it wistaria.) which ran in the Star News in 2015. 
Joshua Siskin, who writes The Smarter Gardener for several papers gave me permission to use 
his work and I quote: 

“It has been several weeks since wisteria stopped blooming, but still I think of it. Its curtains of 
opulent lavender-violet flower clusters are hard to forget. All year long, except for a single brief 
moment in late winter and early spring, wisteria is a vine that shows nothing of ornamental 
interest. It does serve a utilitarian purpose in covering an arbor and thus provides shade for 
those strolling or dining al fresco. But without its flowers, wisteria would probably not be 
planted much, if at all. 

I think that people, too, have this wisteria-like quality. We might go for months living a drab, 
humdrum sort of existence until we suddenly flower brilliantly for a brief, yet memorable 
moment. Indeed, most of the time we do our jobs well and provide assistance and sustenance 
for others. Yet, how often do we bloom, giving something that, coming from our best and truest 
self, delights and inspires the world around us? Long ago in Lithuania, there was a rabbi named 
Yisrael Salanter who said that “the greatest distance in the universe is the distance between your 
head and your heart.” When our noblest and most idealistic aspirations, those that we carry 
around in our minds, somehow reach our hearts, that is when we truly blossom.” 

Nice! No wonder I keep it in my calendar for March! 

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, which ends with Easter Sunday, April 
4th, which also happens to be my birthday this year. I shall be 29. Again. 

Palm Sunday is the beginning of the end of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. As you will recall, 
he was heading into Jerusalem and as he approached the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his 
friends/disciples ahead saying, “Go to the village ahead of you and as you enter it, you’ll find 
a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it back here. If anyone asks 
you why you’re untying it, just say, “The Lord needs it.” So off they went and, sure enough, there 
was the colt and, just as Jesus had said, the owner said, “Hey! Why are you untying that colt?”
They said, “The Lord needs it,” and the owner let them have it. They brought this donkey colt 
back to Jesus, threw their cloaks across it and Jesus sat down on it. As Jesus and his friends went 
down the road from the Mount of Olives, joy overtook them and they began to praise God in 
loud voices as they remembered all the miracles they had seen; the blind given sight, the dead 
raised, the lame walking again, demons banished, multitudes fed with a few loaves of bread and 
some little fishes. Their excitement was contagious. They spread their cloaks before him and 
a great crowd gathered and laid palm branches in the road and shouted and sang, “Hosanna 
to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest 
heaven.” 

 Can you imagine what a sight that must have been! Crowds of people dancing in the street, 
putting their coats in front of this donkey colt carrying Jesus into Jerusalem. They were shouting 
and singing and rejoicing to be there, close to this miracle worker. Hence, Palm Sunday. We’ve 
all been to Palm Sunday church services where the little Sunday School kids are given a piece of 
a palm branch and led down the aisle to place them at the foot of the altar. They have a sort of 
sketchy idea of what they’re doing and it’s a joy to see them waving these branches. 

I expect there were a lot of little kids running around in the crowd that first Palm Sunday, too, 
waving branches and having an excellent time being outside on a beautiful day where everyone 
was happy. 

Wherever you are tomorrow, online, outside, inside, in your pajamas or wearing jeans and a 
sweatshirt, rejoice in the day. Yes, the coming week is filled with sadness but, oh my friends, 
Easter is coming! 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Easter is a week away and “The Crown,” 

My story about what happened to that crown of thorns

Is now a real book in addition to a Kindle! Also available on Amazon.com 

If you want to check it out, here’s the link where you can see a short video:

https://youtu.be/Y_pC0X286T8 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com